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Smoke! Fire! Gunpowder! Stealing the Tesoro of the Feast! - Episode 1
Episode 1 | next episode ⭢
[ Magical Manor - Courtyard ]
Akira: Sorry for making you accompany me today. I’m glad you came along though, Cain.
Cain: It’s no big deal. It was fun exploring the marketplace with you anyway, Kenja sama. Did you manage to find everything you were looking for?
Akira: Yep. I saw other interesting stuff on sale too.
I opened my hand to show him the small jar I’d bought. I got it from a wizard shopkeep at a rather shady-looking stall.
It was an unlabelled jar, seemingly empty. When I saw it at the display, I thought the product being sold was the jar itself, but—
Akira: It’s quite fascinating. I wasn’t expecting it to be filled with transparent candy…
Cain: We should show this to Riquet and the others later! They’ll definitely find it an interesting and tasty surprise.
We chatted about the jar and its contents as we crossed the courtyard.
I thought I heard some conversation nearby, and the source of the voices turned out to be Shino and Bradley.
Akira: (Oh, wow… What a rare duo of wizards.)
Bradley: You’re never gonna get anywhere “practising” like that. You’ve gotta be more focused with your training.
Shino: What’s that supposed to mean? If you want to give me advice, don’t go giving me riddles.
Bradley: All you’re doing is swinging that large scythe around mindlessly without keeping the battlefield in mind, that’s what I’m trying to say here.
What do you see yourself fighting? What’s the situation? You ever think about that? Let’s say right now, if we were fighting in a cramped space — what then?
In enclosed spaces, weapons like yours aren’t exactly manoeuvrable. It’s hard to fight to your fullest like that. You’ve got to seize every opening you can get to gain the upper hand. Now picture that.
Shino: ……
Akira: What’s up, you two?
Bradley heard me, and merely shrugged. Shino high-fived Cain as he sullenly replied:
Shino: I was training, and this guy came and decided to get involved.
Akira: Involved?
Bradley: I just so happened to see the little Eastern Wizard training, and decided that I may as well give him some advice for his own good.
Kid’s got some brains in there, he’s plucky, and he’s the most seasoned fighter out of all the young wizards.
But you know, kid, your hypothetical battlefield fails to account for geographical obstacles and your weapon. That's all.
Shino: ……
Bradley: All it took was for me to take one look at you, and I could immediately tell that you’ve only fought under where the playing field’s stacked in your favour — such as in the middle of the woods.
Shino: You said one thing too many.
Bradley: Consider it the lecture fee.
Cain: I get what Bradley’s trying to say though. It’s important for a fighter to not only know his own strengths and weaknesses, but also to have a strong grasp of the environment and the enemy.
Bradley, you’re an experienced fighter that has been through countless fights. If I’m gonna learn, I want to learn from one of the greats.
Bradley raised his eyebrow at Cain in a playful challenge.
Bradley: What’s that? A Central Knight wants to sign up for Combat 101 from a bandit?
Cain: Sure, why not? Bradley, you’re a wizard many times stronger than I am, and you’re also someone who has been through way more. And that's plain fact.
I know I have lots of shortcomings that I can’t observe myself — it takes someone else to notice and point them out.
I know I can grow stronger than this, and I want to get stronger, too. But I’ve got a lot to learn before I can go the distance.
Finally, Shino gave in and nodded. It seemed like something Cain said had resonated with him.
Shino: Me too. I’ve got a long way to go from here. One day, I’ll be much stronger than I am now.
Cain: That’s right. We’re in this together!
Hey, Bradley. Could you spar with me someday? I’d like to work on my swordplay.
Bradley: That’s the spirit. Those words you said ain’t half bad at all. I’ll give your request some consideration.
Wearing a satisfied smirk, Bradley waved his hand in the air.
That sort of display was what Bradley liked to see. He liked it best when people embraced their greed — it made them worth his effort, such as Shino and Cain in their pursuit for strength.
Shino: By the way, Kenja. Why are you holding that empty jar? It’s got magic cast on it.
Akira: Well, actually, it has candy inside! I bought this from a marketplace here in Central Country.
Bradley: It’s had invisibility magic cast on ‘em.
Shino: Invisibility?
Cain: Seems like magic turned these candies transparent. I tried some at the stall. It tasted just like candy.
Shino: Huh. I wanna try some too.
Akira: Here you go. Help yourself.
I opened the jar, and shook out its contents.
A single piece of candy dropped onto Shino’s palm, and—
Shino & Cain: …!?
Shino’s outstretched palm had vanished from sight.
All we saw was a piece of pink candy floating in mid-air.
Akira: W-what… How…!?
Bradley: Hahah! You let your guard down, that’s how.
White: Kenja. So you were here all along.
I heard a voice from above. It was White on his broom.
Cain: White sama?
Bradley: Ugh, it’s one of the old geezers.
White: … Hm?
White hopped off his broom. His gaze stopped where Shino’s hand should have been.
Then he whirled around and looked right into Bradley’s eyes.
White: Bradley chan, were you the one behind this? Did you chop off Shino chan’s hand?
Akira: W-Wait, that’s a misunderstanding! Actually…
I showed White the jar, and then I summarised the situation.
White: Oh, I see now. It was transparent candy.
Well, I didn’t sense any traces of magic being used, anyway. I’d known all along that Bradley wasn’t behind this.
Bradley: Go kill yourself.
White: Can’t die twice~
White peered closely at Shino’s hand, which had turned transparent from the wrist up.
White: There’s a very basic spell cast on these candies by an inexperienced wizard. That is likely why its effect had transferred from the piece of candy to Shino’s hand.
Akira: Is Shino’s hand going to be alright…?
White: There’s nothing to be concerned about. It’ll wear off with time.
Likewise for the candies — the spell’s effects won’t last long. In due time, they will return to being normal candy.
Akira: Phew, that’s a relief…
Shino: It’s not a relief to me. Getting hit by this kind of magic is really lame.
Well… I guess a transparent hand doesn’t stop me from grabbing or holding stuff though. It’s not as inconvenient as it looks.
I suddenly remembered something.
Akira: By the way, White, you were looking for me?
White: Oh, right! That’s why I’m here!
We just received a request for aid addressed to the Magical Manor. I came here to rope Bradley into it.
Snow is waiting at the meeting lounge. Cain, Shino — you two, come along if you have the time to spare.
[ Magical Manor - Meeting Lounge ]
Bradley: …… The hell?
Snow wasn’t the only one in the meeting lounge. Figaro was there too.
Bradley pulled a face of disgust when he saw the two of them.
Snow: You’re finally here.
Cain: Oh, Figaro’s here too.
Figaro: Nah, our paths just happened to cross.
Figaro acts the part of a caring Southern Wizard, but he’s actually one of the longest-lived wizards after the twins.
It must be quite the dangerous mission if he’s present here with the twins.
Figaro: Oh…? Hey, Shino. What happened to your hand?
Snow: Bradley chan, were you the one behind this? Did you chop off Shino chan’s hand?
Bradley: Not this shit again.
Akira: Hang on, lots of things happened just now……
I explained the situation to the surprised duo, and the atmosphere relaxed into one of understanding.
Episode 2 ⭢
[ Magical Manor - Courtyard ]
Akira: Sorry for making you accompany me today. I’m glad you came along though, Cain.
Cain: It’s no big deal. It was fun exploring the marketplace with you anyway, Kenja sama. Did you manage to find everything you were looking for?
Akira: Yep. I saw other interesting stuff on sale too.
I opened my hand to show him the small jar I’d bought. I got it from a wizard shopkeep at a rather shady-looking stall.
It was an unlabelled jar, seemingly empty. When I saw it at the display, I thought the product being sold was the jar itself, but—
Akira: It’s quite fascinating. I wasn’t expecting it to be filled with transparent candy…
Cain: We should show this to Riquet and the others later! They’ll definitely find it an interesting and tasty surprise.
We chatted about the jar and its contents as we crossed the courtyard.
I thought I heard some conversation nearby, and the source of the voices turned out to be Shino and Bradley.
Akira: (Oh, wow… What a rare duo of wizards.)
Bradley: You’re never gonna get anywhere “practising” like that. You’ve gotta be more focused with your training.
Shino: What’s that supposed to mean? If you want to give me advice, don’t go giving me riddles.
Bradley: All you’re doing is swinging that large scythe around mindlessly without keeping the battlefield in mind, that’s what I’m trying to say here.
What do you see yourself fighting? What’s the situation? You ever think about that? Let’s say right now, if we were fighting in a cramped space — what then?
In enclosed spaces, weapons like yours aren’t exactly manoeuvrable. It’s hard to fight to your fullest like that. You’ve got to seize every opening you can get to gain the upper hand. Now picture that.
Shino: ……
Akira: What’s up, you two?
Bradley heard me, and merely shrugged. Shino high-fived Cain as he sullenly replied:
Shino: I was training, and this guy came and decided to get involved.
Akira: Involved?
Bradley: I just so happened to see the little Eastern Wizard training, and decided that I may as well give him some advice for his own good.
Kid’s got some brains in there, he’s plucky, and he’s the most seasoned fighter out of all the young wizards.
But you know, kid, your hypothetical battlefield fails to account for geographical obstacles and your weapon. That's all.
Shino: ……
Bradley: All it took was for me to take one look at you, and I could immediately tell that you’ve only fought under where the playing field’s stacked in your favour — such as in the middle of the woods.
Shino: You said one thing too many.
Bradley: Consider it the lecture fee.
Cain: I get what Bradley’s trying to say though. It’s important for a fighter to not only know his own strengths and weaknesses, but also to have a strong grasp of the environment and the enemy.
Bradley, you’re an experienced fighter that has been through countless fights. If I’m gonna learn, I want to learn from one of the greats.
Bradley raised his eyebrow at Cain in a playful challenge.
Bradley: What’s that? A Central Knight wants to sign up for Combat 101 from a bandit?
Cain: Sure, why not? Bradley, you’re a wizard many times stronger than I am, and you’re also someone who has been through way more. And that's plain fact.
I know I have lots of shortcomings that I can’t observe myself — it takes someone else to notice and point them out.
I know I can grow stronger than this, and I want to get stronger, too. But I’ve got a lot to learn before I can go the distance.
Finally, Shino gave in and nodded. It seemed like something Cain said had resonated with him.
Shino: Me too. I’ve got a long way to go from here. One day, I’ll be much stronger than I am now.
Cain: That’s right. We’re in this together!
Hey, Bradley. Could you spar with me someday? I’d like to work on my swordplay.
Bradley: That’s the spirit. Those words you said ain’t half bad at all. I’ll give your request some consideration.
Wearing a satisfied smirk, Bradley waved his hand in the air.
That sort of display was what Bradley liked to see. He liked it best when people embraced their greed — it made them worth his effort, such as Shino and Cain in their pursuit for strength.
Shino: By the way, Kenja. Why are you holding that empty jar? It’s got magic cast on it.
Akira: Well, actually, it has candy inside! I bought this from a marketplace here in Central Country.
Bradley: It’s had invisibility magic cast on ‘em.
Shino: Invisibility?
Cain: Seems like magic turned these candies transparent. I tried some at the stall. It tasted just like candy.
Shino: Huh. I wanna try some too.
Akira: Here you go. Help yourself.
I opened the jar, and shook out its contents.
A single piece of candy dropped onto Shino’s palm, and—
Shino & Cain: …!?
Shino’s outstretched palm had vanished from sight.
All we saw was a piece of pink candy floating in mid-air.
Akira: W-what… How…!?
Bradley: Hahah! You let your guard down, that’s how.
White: Kenja. So you were here all along.
I heard a voice from above. It was White on his broom.
Cain: White sama?
Bradley: Ugh, it’s one of the old geezers.
White: … Hm?
White hopped off his broom. His gaze stopped where Shino’s hand should have been.
Then he whirled around and looked right into Bradley’s eyes.
White: Bradley chan, were you the one behind this? Did you chop off Shino chan’s hand?
Akira: W-Wait, that’s a misunderstanding! Actually…
I showed White the jar, and then I summarised the situation.
White: Oh, I see now. It was transparent candy.
Well, I didn’t sense any traces of magic being used, anyway. I’d known all along that Bradley wasn’t behind this.
Bradley: Go kill yourself.
White: Can’t die twice~
White peered closely at Shino’s hand, which had turned transparent from the wrist up.
White: There’s a very basic spell cast on these candies by an inexperienced wizard. That is likely why its effect had transferred from the piece of candy to Shino’s hand.
Akira: Is Shino’s hand going to be alright…?
White: There’s nothing to be concerned about. It’ll wear off with time.
Likewise for the candies — the spell’s effects won’t last long. In due time, they will return to being normal candy.
Akira: Phew, that’s a relief…
Shino: It’s not a relief to me. Getting hit by this kind of magic is really lame.
Well… I guess a transparent hand doesn’t stop me from grabbing or holding stuff though. It’s not as inconvenient as it looks.
I suddenly remembered something.
Akira: By the way, White, you were looking for me?
White: Oh, right! That’s why I’m here!
We just received a request for aid addressed to the Magical Manor. I came here to rope Bradley into it.
Snow is waiting at the meeting lounge. Cain, Shino — you two, come along if you have the time to spare.
[ Magical Manor - Meeting Lounge ]
Bradley: …… The hell?
Snow wasn’t the only one in the meeting lounge. Figaro was there too.
Bradley pulled a face of disgust when he saw the two of them.
Snow: You’re finally here.
Cain: Oh, Figaro’s here too.
Figaro: Nah, our paths just happened to cross.
Figaro acts the part of a caring Southern Wizard, but he’s actually one of the longest-lived wizards after the twins.
It must be quite the dangerous mission if he’s present here with the twins.
Figaro: Oh…? Hey, Shino. What happened to your hand?
Snow: Bradley chan, were you the one behind this? Did you chop off Shino chan’s hand?
Bradley: Not this shit again.
Akira: Hang on, lots of things happened just now……
I explained the situation to the surprised duo, and the atmosphere relaxed into one of understanding.
Episode 2 ⭢